Know Your Product

Stars pick their Top Five! This week: Swervedriver

1. T.Rex–Ride A White Swan. This was a cheap Music for Pleasure Woolworths compilation album that came out around 1972 to cash in on what the music press were calling "T.Rexstacy." I imagine Bolan would have been really pissed off about its release, but the weird thing about it and the reason it was life-changing was because aside from the track "Ride A White Swan" itself, the rest of the record is all Tyrannosaurus Rex, (the earlier acoustic version of the group) and so opened up a lot of young ears to some very strange music.—Adam Franklin

2. Can–Ege Bamyasi.

2 . Can–Ege Bamyasi. This album is cited by tons of people as a major inspiration and I guess I'm just as guilty as the rest. I first heard it while making the second Supergrass album, and ended up listening to it like an obsessed teenager. Just last week, Holger Czukay shuffled off this mortal coil, but Jaki Liebezeit's death earlier this year struck an even bigger chord. Funky, insidious and as pop as Can ever got.—Mick Quinn

3. Iggy and The Stooges–Raw Power.

3. Iggy and The Stooges–Raw Power. This album certainly had a massive impact on me and changed my own life for the better without question. Not only because I found the music contained to be the most electrifying and visceral rock music I ever experienced but on a completely personal and genuine level, it really helped to cement the early relationship between myself and my partner. Three amazing kids later, etc... And Swervedriver's obsession with this album really drove us in the early days, and no doubt still does.—Jim Hartridge

4. Ian Dury–New Boots and Panties!!

4. Ian Dury–New Boots and Panties!! Growing up, my mom had a small but cool collection of vinyl. The White Album, Led Zeppelin II, Avalon by Roxy Music... I found this one towards the back of the stack, and I thought, "Wait, there's a song called "Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll"? And so I crank it up and my mom snags the record and says "Michael! Naughty! You cannot listen to this—this is for adults!" Naturally, I listened to that forbidden masterpiece every chance I could. Ian Dury stayed one of my favs. The Blockheads are legends, and I'm always still looking for ways to be naughty.—Mikey Jones

5. The Stooges–The Stooges

5. The Stooges–The Stooges We first became aware of this around 1984, I suppose. We'd lived through punk records "in real time" with bands like Buzzcocks, the Stranglers, etc. All made appearances on Top of the Pops, as well as getting into the Nuggets and Pebbles psych compilations around 1980 and, loving those, there was something else going on with this record. This was of course a precursor and inspiration to a lot of those '70s punks bands as well as taking that '60s punk style one step further. Such a great attitude lyrically and musically and yet also beautifully melodic and crunchy-sounding.—Band choice